In years gone by, people either had jobs with a particular employer, or they were self-employed. In between, of course, there were always a few people who had a day job and then did a little extra on the side - perhaps did odd jobs in the evenings or at weekends - but they were generally quite clear about what their main job was. What's more, most people expected to stay with their employer for a long time.

Over recent years, however, we have witnessed some gradual changes which are likely to gather pace over the next decade.

The buzz phrase now is "portfolio working". At its simplest, this means that an individual does more than one job at a time: perhaps a part-time daytime job and evening work, for two different employers. But it can be more complex than that, for example involving a series of fixed-term appointments with both employed and self-employed opportunities mixed in. Although portfolio workers are still in the minority, their numbers are set to grow rapidly.

For the right individual, there are definite advantages. Portfolio working can make it easier to blend work with other commitments such as caring for children or finding time for sports or hobbies. It can also bring extra variety to your working life.

There are advantages for employers, too. Many organisations have found that allowing two people to share a job results in happy staff and high productivity, and the same can apply to other forms of flexible working. If work can be split into projects, or divided up so that several people each spend - say - ten hours a week doing something, then you may tap into even more energy and creativity than if the job is done by one person working normal hours.

The three keys to success are planning, communication and training. The employer and portfolio worker have to agree how the work will be tackled, when, and with what goals and targets in mind.

Afterwards, there needs to be regular communication between the worker and the employer, even if it's just a case of asking "How's it going?" from time to time.

And what about training? This is an interesting one, because responsibility will increasingly shift to the worker to make sure he or she has the skills and knowledge needed to do the job. Otherwise, they may not get asked back to do the next job when it comes along.

In a way, this points to people acting more like businesses. They need to decide what it is they are going to sell - their skills and knowledge - and work out how to keep it up to date. And I am convinced that more and more people will need to act this way in the future.

North Yorkshire TEC is taking this very seriously. This is why services such as the Learning Helpline - Freephone 0800 515547, are growing in importance. One call gives access to a wealth of information about training and development opportunities throughout York and North Yorkshire, putting you in the driving seat. Put it to the test - there's no obligation!